Variable-speed device



Dec. 11, 1928.

E s. HIGHT VARIABLE SPEED DEVICE F l 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A rmR/m sDec. 11, 1928. 1,695,099

E. S. HIGHT VARIABLE SPEED DEVICE Filed Jan- 2, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2VE/YTOI? FUGE/YE .5. Maw

m w 11 WCQJQ A TTOR/YEYS Patented Dec. 11, 1928.

UNITED STATES EUGENE S. RIGHT, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

VARIABLE-SPEED DEVICE.

Application filed January 2, 1925. Serial No. 188.

This invention relates generally to a variable speed device, andparticularly to a variable speed device by means of which differences inthe R. P. M. of one shaft with relation to another shaft may beobtained,

- and the main object of the invention is to produce a simple andinexpensive device of the class mentioned which Wlll function in a verypositive and efliclent manner.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention comprisesthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore specifically described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawreferred emings, wherein is shown the -Iowever, it IS bodiment ofthe invention.

, to be understood that the invention comprehends changes, variationsand modifications which come within the scope of the claims hereuntoappended.

Fig. I is a cross section of my improved variable speed device.

Fig. IIis a vertical section of the device shown in Fig. I with parts ofsaid device shown in elevation.

Fig; III is a front elevation of the device with the front wall of thehousing thereof removed.

In the drawings, A designates my improved variable speed device whichcomprises a housing B composed of an annular wall 1, a front wall 2 anda rear wall 3. The annular wall 1 is provided with oppositely disposedintegral flanges 4 to which said front and rear walls are secured bymeans of bolts, and said front and rear walls are provided with annularshoulders, 5 which contact with the inner face of the annular wall 1, asshown in Fig- I. It is apparent from this construction that very tightjoints are obtained between the various walls of the housing.

Formed integrally with the rear wall 3 of the housing is a bearing 6,which extends inwardly into the interior of said housing,

and formed integral with the front wall 2 is a bearing 7. The bearings 6and? are of course provided with openings extend ing longitudinallytherethrough, as shown clearly in Fig. I of the drawings. 8 designates adrivev shaft which is arranged for rotation in the bearing 6,saidbearing being provided with a sleeve of soft material 9 whichprovides a better bearing surface than would be provided if thecomparatively hard material of which the bearing is formed were causedto contact with the rotatable shaft 8. 1O designates a driven shaftwhich is arranged for rotation in the bearing 7, said bearing 7 alsobeing provided with a soft metal sleeve 11 similar to the sleeve 9already described. The drive shaft is rotated at an approximatelyuniform speed at all times, and the mechanism, which will now bedescribed, is adapted to cause the speed of the driven shaft 10to bevaried with respect to the speed of the drive shaft 8.

Keyed to the drive shaft 8 at its inner end is a pinion 12 which mesheswith a pair of planet wheels 13. 14 designates a memher which isarranged for rotation about the exterior of the bearing 6, said membercomprising a sleeve portion 15, a pair of opposltely disposed arms 16 atone of the ends of said sleeve portion, and an eccentric 17 at theopposite end. of the sleeve portion. As stated above,-the member '14 iscapable of rotating "about the bearing 6 upon which it is mounted, andfor this reason said member will be referredto hereinafter as a floating member. It will be noted by referring to Fig. I that the diameter ofthe bearin 6 .is reduced to provide a bearing surface or shaft supportsone of said gear wheels 13 (Fig. I). Associated with each individualgear wheel 13, preferably by being formed integral therewith, is apinion 21, said pinions being arranged tomesh with arelatively largegear wheel 22 keyed to the inner end of the driven shaft 10.

From theforegoing it is plain that if the member 14 were held in anon-rotatable position on the bearing 6 and rotary motion were impartedto the drive shaft 8 by some suitable'means, this rotary motion would betransmitted through the pinion 12 to the gear wheels 13, and because thepmions 21 rotate with said gear wheels 13 said rotary motion would betransmitted from said gear wheels 13, through said pinions 21 and gearwheel 22, to the driven shaft 10. It is apparent that becausepf therelative sizes of the various pinions and gear Wheels the rate of speedof the driven shaft 10 would be much less than the rate of speed of thedrive shaft 8, but the particular device illustrated.

floating member 14 is capable of rotating freely about the bearing 6. Inthis event the gear wheels 13 and pinions 21 are of course rotated aboutthe stud shafts 20 by the pinions 12, just as they were in thecase wherethe floating member 14 was nonrotatably held. However, the driven shaft10 is connected to mechanism which requires some power to operate, andconsequently said driven shaft and the gear wheel 22 thereon would beheld immovable by said mechanism. In view of this the rotating pinions21, instead of transmitting motion to the gear wheel 22 as in the casewhere the floating member was non-rotatably held, would travel idlyaround the stationary gear wheel 22 and would not'impart movement tosaid gear wheel nor to the driven shaft 10 associated therewith.

The operation of the device under the two extreme conditions has beenexplained, and it is apparent that the rate of speed at which the drivenshaft 10 is operated may be varied by retarding the rotation of thefloating member 14 more or less, it being plain that as the amount ofhindrance to the floating member is increased the amount of motionimparted by the pinion's 21 to the gear wheel 22 is correspondinglyincreased, which results in an increase in the speed of rotation of thedriven shaft 10. I have therefore provided my device with a retardingagency .wvhich acts upon the floating member 14,

whereby rotation of said floating member may be regulated, and thisretarding agency will now. be described.

Associated with the eccentric 17 of the member 14 is an eccentric strap23 in the form of an oscillatory lever which is preferably composed of apair of parts bolted together, as shown clearly in Fig. II. Theeccentric strap 23 is plvotally secured to a boss which extends inwardlyfrom the rear wall 3 of the housing B bymeans of a suitable bolt orother fastening device 24, said eccentric strap 23, and that a softmetal insert is located within said recess to provide an improvedbearingsurface for said eccentric. Arranged at the lower end of the eccentricstrap 23 is a downwardly extending bifurcated portion.

Arranged adjacent to the lower end of the eccentric strap 23 is a pairof oppositely disposed cylinders 28 and 28 which are preferably formedintegral with the annular wall 1 of the housing B. Each of the cylindershas associated with it anupwardly extending cavity 29. Located in eachindividual cylinder and arranged to reciprocate therein is a piston 30which is connected to the downwardly extending portion of the eccentricstrap 23 by a connecting rod 31, the ends of said connecting rodswhiclrare attached to the eccentric strap being extended between thelegs of the bifurcated portion of said eccentric strap, and bolts arepassed through said legs and through said connecting rods to pivotallyconnect said eccentric strap and said connecting rods together. Theopposite ends of the connecting rods 31 are connected to the pistons bymeans of the usual wrist pins 32. ,4

33 designates a conduit which is in communication with the interior ofthe cylinder 28, and 34 designates a similar conduit which communicateswith the interior of the cylinder 28. The ends of the conduits oppositeto the ends thereof which communicate with the cylinders 28 and 28communicate with a 3-way valve 35. The third conduit associated with thevalve 35 is a comparatively short conduit 36 which places the interiorof the 3-way valve in communicationwith the interior of the housing B.37

designates the movable element of the valve 35 by means of which theflow of liquid through said valve may be controlled.

Arranged in the walls which enclose the upwardly extending cavities 29associated with the cylinders 28 and 28' is a pair of check valves 38,(Fig. II), said check valves being spring-controlled and being adaptedto open when the pistons in the associated cylinders move in onedirection and close when said pistons move in the opposite direction. 39designates a pair of air chambers which are arranged in communicationwith the cavities 29 through the medium ,of conductors 40, as shown inFig. II. 41 designates a body of liquid, preferably 011, which islocated within the housing B and within the cylinders 28 and 28 and theconductors 33 and 34. The wall 1 of the housmotion to the driven shaft10 of the device.

In this event the passageway 37 in the movable element 37 of the valvewill be arranged in perfect alinement with the conduits 33 and 34, andthe passageway 37 of said movable element will be in alinement withthe.conduit 36. With the parts positioned as suggested, oil may pass fromthe conduits 33 and 34 through the passageway 37 without being impeded.As the pinions 21 travel idly around the gear wheel 22 when the floatingmember 14 is unhampered, said floating member whichincludes'the-eccentric 17 will, of course, rotate about the bearing6.The rotation of the eccentric will cause the lower end portion of theeccentric strap 23 to be reciprocated, and because the pistons 30 areconnected to said lower end portion -of said eccentric strap by theconnecting rods 31 said pistons will be reciprocated within theircylinders. Each time either of the pistons is moved inwardly within itscylinder f the oil within said cylinder is forced through the associatedconduit 33 or 34, through the passageways 37 a and 37 within the movableelement of the valve 35, and through the conduit 36 into the interior ofthe housing B, It is apparent from this that with the movable element 37of the valve positioned as suggested, no material hindrance is exertedagainst the rotation of the member 14 and said member 14 is thereforecapable of rotat ing idly at its maximum speed.

-Assume now, however, that it is desired to retard the rotation of thefloating member 14 so that the driven shaftmay be placed in motion andthe speed of said shaft con-- trolled. In this event the movable element37 of the valve 35 wouldbe turned so that a restricted passageway X isprovided within the valve 35, through which restricted passageway theoil must be forced by the pistons. 'The result of this is that the speedof reciprocation of the pistons and of the eccentric strap 23 would bereduced and the eccentric 17 would necessarily be compelled to rotate ata lower rate of speed than when the passageway X within the valve 35 isunrestricted.

It is therefore plain that the movable element 37 of the valve 35 may beturned to a position where the valve 35 is closed, at which time thefloating member 14 would be non-rotatably held due to the fact that it iwould be impossible for the pistons to re 'ciprocate within theircylinders. Also said movable element may be moved to a positlon wherethe valve 35 is entirely open, at which time the floating member 14 willrotate without hindrance. It is also plain that the movable elment 37 ofthe valve 35'may be moved to positions between these two extremes toprovide passageways within the 'valve which-fare more or lessrestricted,

whereby more or less hindrance is placed on the rotation of theeccentric 17 and the associated floating member 14.

The reciprocating movement of the pistons 30 may be uneven as thedirection of movement of said pistons is changed, and to reduce thisunevenness of movement I employ air chambers 39. In use the oil withinthe cylinders rises within the cavities 29 and conductors 40 when. thepistons are moved inwardly in their cylinders, thus compressing the airwithin the air chambers 39, after which said air gradually expands,forcing said oil downwardly in said conduits 40.

The check valves 38 are employed to permit oil to be drawn into thecylinders 28 and 28' by the reciprocating pistons therein,

whereby the proper amount of oil will be maintained withinv thecylinders at all times.

I claim:

1. A variable speed device comprising a housing, a drive shaft, a drivenshaft, planetary gearing whereby motion maybe transmitted from saiddrive shaft to said driven shaft, a rotatable member associated withsaid planetary gearing, aneccentric associated with said rotatablemember, av pivoted eccentricstrap cooperable with said eccentrio, andfluid-controlled means cooperable with said pivoted eccentric strap forretarding the operation thereof, said fluid-controlled means comprisinga pair of oppositely disposed cylinders, pistons arranged forreciprocation within said cylinders, fluid conduits arranged incommunication with the interiors of said cylinders, a three-way valveasociated with said fluid conduits, and a fluid conduit establishingcommunication between the interior of said valve and said housing, saidpistons being adapted to force fluid from said cylinders through thefluid conduits associated therewith to the interior of the valve andthrough the conduit leading to said housing and said valve being adaptedto impede the passage of said fluid through said conduits.

2. Avariable speed device comprising a drive shaft, a driven shaft,planetary gearing whereby motion may be transmitted from said driveshaft to said driven shaft, a rotatable member associated with saidplanetary gearing, retarding means adapted to retard the rotation ofsaid rotatable member, said retarding means including fluid-controlledmeans comprising a pair of oppositely dis.-

Inn

posed cylinders, pistons arranged to recipro- Y associated with saidcylinders, a manually elated With" said cylinders whereby oil mayoperated valve associated with said fluid be drawn into said cylinders,and air chamconduits said pistons being adapted to force bers associatedwith said cylinders.

fluid from said cylinders and through said i r In testimony that I claimthe" foregoing 5 conduits and said manually operated valve I hereuntoaflix signature.

being adapted to impede the"'passage of fluid a through said conduits,check valves asso- EUGENE S. HIGHT.

